


Let's Pretend We're Dancing in the Streets

by allmylovesatonce



Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV)
Genre: AU, F/M, Traveling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-15
Updated: 2017-05-15
Packaged: 2018-11-01 00:43:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10910808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allmylovesatonce/pseuds/allmylovesatonce
Summary: Amy Santiago is studying abroad in London to complete her Art History minor. She finds an unlikely companion in Jake Peralta who is stranded in England for the summer.





	Let's Pretend We're Dancing in the Streets

**Author's Note:**

> So this was inspired by many different things. The idea came about as I listened to "Barcelona" by Ed Sheeran on repeat for days. (It's a good song!) I was inspired by the time I studied abroad in England three years ago and by my upcoming return to London this summer. A lot of the places I mentioned are real and I think I went to most of them.   
> I love traveling, so I loved the idea of putting these characters in this scenario.   
> I hope you enjoy!!

The pub was crowded. It was almost to the point where Amy’s claustrophobia was kicking in. On top of that, too many men had sidled up next to her to offer to buy her a drink. The only reason she’d even gone out was because she needed to get away from her room. She’d been in London for 5 days and other than going to the one class she had, she hadn’t really left her suite much. Studying abroad sounded great, but Amy was still discovering why. Her suitemates were okay, but Amy didn’t really know them too well.

On a whim, and channeling the imaginary advice of her friend Kylie, Amy decided she should go out for a drink. She was going to finally see the city. Or at least, see one pub. So far, she’d been there 45 minutes and five different men had tried to start a conversation with her. She wasn’t interested. Amy politely declined and hoped they’d be respectful enough to take the hint that she just wanted to drink alone. She’d hit her limit when the next guy slid onto the barstool next to her.

“Can I get a drink?” He asked.

Amy turned to him angrily. “Oh my God. No! I do not want to get a drink with you! I just want to drink by myself. Yes, I am alone in a bar, but I don’t need some skeezy man to come save me from my loneliness. Please leave me alone!”

The man stared back at her, completely shocked. He gestured across the bar. “I was talking to the bartender,” he said in a small voice.

Amy felt her face get hot. She threw her hands over her face. “Oh my God,” she said in horror. “I am so sorry. Oh God, I am so embarrassed.”

Thankfully, he laughed. “Don’t worry about it,” he replied, still laughing. She picked her head up and looked at him. He wore a sympathetic expression. “Having a hard night?”

Amy laughed. “Yeah, kind of.”

“Yeah, I can’t imagine how hard it must be to be a pretty girl in a bar like this,” he commented. Amy blushed. She smiled at him shyly. “That was not me hitting on you, by the way. I was not trying to make you uncomfortable, or whatever,” he followed up, flustered. He laughed lightly. “I guess we both have our feet in our mouths now.”

“I really am sorry,” Amy apologized again. She stuck her hand out. “I’m Amy.”

The man met her for the shake. “Jake. Nice to meet you.” He quickly ordered a beer and then turned back to Amy. “So I seem to detect an American accent,” he observed.

Amy smirked. “Yep, that would be correct.”

Jake nodded. “Cool. Where are you from?”

“California,” she replied. “San Francisco to be exact. I seem to detect an American accent on you as well. Where are you from?”

“New York City.”

“Ah, The Big Apple,” she remarked.

“The biggest,” he replied. He wrinkled his nose in disgust. “I take that back. That sounded weird. But yeah, I live in Brooklyn.” Amy nodded, soaking in the information. He took a sip of the drink that had been placed in front of him. “So Amy, what brings you to Foggy Ol’ London Town?”

Amy chuckled at his phrasing. “I’m studying abroad.” He looked interested, so Amy continued. “I’m minoring in Art History and I thought I was perfectly on track to graduate a semester early. Apparently my advisor forgot to mention that she’d messed up and a few classes I’d taken at a different college didn’t transfer. So to still be able to graduate when I wanted, I had to study abroad.”

Jake laughed. “Oh, you _had_ to?”

“That sounded bad. What I mean is the only credits I could take were abroad. They didn’t offer any of the classes I needed on campus during the summer. The problem was, my parents were all upset about me studying abroad,” Amy explained.

“Are you an only child?”

“No, actually I’m one of eight children,” Amy informed him.

Jake nearly did a spit take with his beer. “Eight kids? Oh my God.”

“The other seven are boys.”

Jake gaped at her. “You have _seven_ brothers?” Amy nodded with a smirk. “Wow. I’ve only known you for like five minutes but I have so much respect for you.”

Amy laughed. “It wasn’t all that bad. But being the only girl, my parents were both a bit protective. More my mom than my dad. So they were trying to convince me that it wasn’t that big a deal to graduate early. Most students don’t. They graduate in four rather than three and a half. But I was dead set on graduating early. So I told them to suck it.” Jake looked at her skeptically. “Okay, I didn’t actually tell my parents to suck it. But they weren’t super happy with my choice. My mom’s last words to me before I said goodbye at the airport was that she hopes she sees me again.”

“Wow. They are really worried about you,” Jake replied with a chuckle.

“Yeah. Which I don’t really know why. I’ve always been pretty tough. You kinda have to be with that many brothers. I think it’s just because I’ve never left the country without them before. It’s annoying. My mom has called or texted me every day that I’ve been here so far. She’s burning through my international minutes,” Amy said, shaking her head.

“So what classes are you taking?” Jake asked.

Amy took a sip of her drink. “I only have one class I have to meet for. The other is an independent study.”

Jake looked suspicious. “Hold up. You’re telling me that a university offers an independent study class _abroad_?”

“Well, you have to apply for it and be accepted. There was a thorough interview process. You know, to make sure you’ll actually do it and not just go abroad and party the whole time,” she explained.

“And you got accepted?” Amy nodded happily. “So what you’re telling me is that you’re a huge nerd,” Jake replied with a laugh.

“Eh, I’ve been called worse,” Amy mused. “What about you? What brings you to this side of the pond?”

Jake’s face dropped a bit. “Well this story requires a little backstory. I don’t usually divulge this part this fast after I meet someone. But it helps this all make sense.”

Amy was confused. She watched as Jake took a large drink of his beer. He turned slightly more toward Amy.

“So my dad left when I was seven,” he explained. Amy groaned sadly. Jake just nodded. “Yeah. But anyway, I hadn’t talked to him in years. So he’s an airline pilot. He called me up out of the blue and told me that he was going to be undergoing this training all summer in England. He’d gotten some job in this area or something. I don’t remember the specifics. But anyway, he bought me a plane ticket and told me he wanted me to come spend the summer with him. And so I decided to do it. He was all excited. He said he couldn’t wait to reconnect with me.”

“That’s sweet,” Amy said with a smile.

Jake chuckled dryly. “Oh just wait.” Amy’s face fell. “So I pack and I leave and I get here only to find out he took another job. He’s now a regional airline pilot in Canada.”

“What?” Amy exclaimed.

“Yeah, he apparently took another job and just forgot to tell me. Thankfully, he forgot to cancel his hotel reservation so I still have a place to stay.”

“So he just abandoned you in England?” Amy asked. Jake nodded. “Why not just leave?”

He shrugged. “I almost did. I was seething. If it had been my home, some things would have been broken. I was looking up tickets back home and everything. And that’s when I realized that international airfare is like _really_ pricey. And I am not a wealthy person. So I figured I already have a free ticket home at the end of the summer. I might as well just use that one.”

“So you’re just going to casually hang out in England all summer?” Amy asked.

“Yeah, that’s kinda the plan.” Amy gaped at him. “I guess I need to figure out things to do. I’ve been here for two days and I have yet to do anything.”

“Anything?” Amy questioned. “At all?”

Jake nodded guiltily. “Yeah. Let’s just say that there are some really interesting shows on British TV. Also a remarkable number of American shows.”

Amy stared at him. “So all you’ve done for two days is watch television?”

“Basically.” Amy was horrified. She’d at least done more than that. “I mean, the hotel my dad made a reservation for has a curfew. The doors lock at 11:00. It was just easier to stay in and not risk getting locked out. I don’t know anyone else in the country.”

“You were afraid if you left, you wouldn’t make it back before 11:00 pm?”

Jake shrugged. “I don’t know this city. What if I got lost?”

Amy shook her head. “Wow. I cannot believe this.” She smacked her hands down on the bar and turned toward him. “I have to go to a ton of museums and different sites for my independent study. Why don’t you come with me? Then you can actually see the city.”

Jake looked like he was thinking it over. “So you’re inviting a man you don’t know to go venturing through a city you don’t really know either? God, no wonder your parents were worried about you studying abroad.”

Amy smacked his arm. “Come on, I’m trying to be helpful here.”

He shook his head at her disbelievingly. “You’re really not worried about me? I mean I could be an axe murderer.”

“Would an axe murderer say that?”

“Maybe to throw you off the scent of his murdering,” Jake argued.

Amy rolled her eyes. “Fine, would an axe murderer share his tragic past?”

“Maybe they would to lure you in with their sad story,” Jake reasoned.

Amy rolled her eyes, turning from him. “Whatever. Never mind.”

Jake grabbed the top of her arm. “No please, I’m so bored. I promise I’m just a normal person. A very normal, very bored person who does not know anyone in this country.”

Amy turned back, a grin spreading on her face. “Easily manipulated. Good to know,” she replied mischievously.

“Ah, so that’s how this is gonna be. Okay,” Jake laughed.

“I’m going to the Tate tomorrow if you’d like to join me,” Amy offered.

“What’s the Tate?”

Amy grimaced. “It’s a museum…”

“Oh cool,” he replied simply. “Sounds fun!”

They sat there chatting for a while longer. Amy wasn’t sure what it was about Jake, but she felt comfortable around him. Maybe it was his sense of humor. Or maybe it was how kind he was. Maybe it was how aware he was of making sure she felt comfortable. He seemed like a generally good person. She had no fears of inviting him to join her. Even when he was making the axe murderer jokes, she wasn’t worried. She felt bad for the situation that had landed him in London. But on the other hand, she was grateful that she seemed to actually be making a friend in England.

They were getting up to leave the pub. Jake was worried about getting back to his hotel by the curfew time. “Now, I hate to ask this based on the first conversation we had,” Jake began hesitantly. Amy was curious. “But do you think I could have your number? In case I need to get in touch with you about an excursion?” Jake asked nervously.

Amy laughed. “Of course. That makes sense.”

Amy typed her number into Jake’s phone. Jake took his phone back and looked at her number. “Wait, this isn’t an American phone number…”

“I had to get an English number for the summer,” Amy explained.

“Hmm,” Jake responded with a shrug.

“So I was going to get to the Tate around 8:00,” she informed him.

“ _AM_?” Jake exclaimed.

“Yes…”

Jake coughed lightly. “Yeah, I guess I can make that.”

“Great!” Amy replied happily. “I’ll see you then.”

\--

“Jaaaake! Come back! We miss you!” Jake heard his friends, Charles and Gina whine into the phone.

“Guys, I’m here all summer. You’re gonna have to learn how to get along without me,” Jake reminded them as he got himself ready for the day.

“Jake, how could you leave me alone with Charles? Do you know how dreadfully boring slash weird he is?” Gina asked.

“You know he can hear you, right?” Jake replied.

“Like I care,” Gina retorted.

“Jake, you have to come back. New York is sadder without you. The day after you left, it rained. It _rained_ , Jake. The sky was literally crying that you were gone. So I said screw it, and I joined the sky,” Charles informed him.

“You joined the sky?” Jake questioned.

“In crying over your absence,” he clarified.

“That’s sweet, Bud, but you guys can make it,” Jake offered.

“Your dad isn’t even there. Why are you staying?” Gina asked.

“Because when else am I going to get a most expenses paid trip by myself?” he reasoned.

“But we miss you!” Charles whined.

“We do. It’s not as fun just drinking the two of us,” Gina confirmed with a slight slur to her words.

“It’s good that you bring that up,” Jake interrupted. “How much have you two been drinking?”

Charles hiccupped. “That’s none of your business.”

“Yeah,” Gina agreed. “We don’t confide in people who left us like mean losers who leave.”

“So my guess is it’s been a large amount,” Jake said mainly to himself as he threw his shirt on. “Don’t you think you guys should go to bed soon? It’s like what, 2:00 am there?”

“Why do you care what time it is here? You left here!” Charles argued.

“Wow. Okay, well I need to go. I need to make sure I catch the right train, so I’ll –”

“Where are you going?” Gina demanded. “You’re in London alone. What are you going to do?”

“I’m meeting someone at a museum.”

“Meeting someone? Who are you meeting?” she interrogated.

“A friend,” Jake replied vaguely.

Jake didn’t want to tell his friends that he was meeting a girl. He definitely didn’t want to tell them that he was meeting maybe the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen in person. He knew if he told them that they’d latch on to it and make it more than it is. He was happy to have Amy to spend time with, but it’s not like it was anything other than two lonely Americans finding friends. He knew it would be hard to explain it to his friends.

“A friend?” Charles nearly cried. “You have friends over there? Are you just forgetting us?” Jake could hear the tears in Charles’s voice.

“Listen, you both clearly need to stop drinking. I need to go and you should go to bed,” Jake replied, feeling like their dad. “I’ll talk to you guys later, okay?”

“You better,” Charles all but demanded.

“Yeah, have fun with your friend,” Gina added. Jake could practically hear the quotations she put around friend.

“I will. I miss you guys! Bye!” Jake said, rushing to hang up the phone.

His friends were crazy, but he did miss them. It was easy to leave them when he thought he was going to be rebuilding his relationship with his dad. He felt like his heart dropped to the floor when he found out his dad had abandoned him in England without so much as a call. Jake had texted his dad once he got to the airport. When he got no reply, Jake figured he was busy with his training, so he took a cab to the hotel. He was walking up to the desk when his dad finally replied, informing Jake that he was in Canada instead.

Jake had paced around his room, seething. When his dad left when he was 7, Jake was more hurt and confused. This time, Jake was pissed. He couldn’t believe his dad had planned and built up this trip only to bail on him once Jake left New York. The whole reason Jake had stayed in his room for the first two days was because he couldn’t really control his anger. It would ebb and flow. Sometimes he was sadder and sometimes he was angrier.

He’d spent maybe two hours on skype with his mom the first day. She begged him to come home. He really didn’t want to pay for the ticket. He knew his mom shouldn’t pay for it either. As an art teacher, she really recommended that he go to all the museums. She’d be happy to know what he was starting to do.

When he finally left his room for more than just food, Jake was feeling slightly better about the whole situation. He still hated his dad. He was pretty sure he would always hate his dad. But he had a new outlook. Of all the places his dad could have left him stranded, London wasn’t a bad place. There were tons of sites to see. Jake decided to hit up a pub and drink the last of his resentment away. He never could have guessed that when he was asking for a drink, some girl would think he was hitting on her. But as he sat there talking with Amy, he felt the last of his resentment dissipate. Maybe he’d been handed an opportunity to make a new friend as he explored a new city. He’d probably end up having a better time with Amy than he would with his dad, anyway.

\--

It had been a couple of weeks and Amy was feeling much happier about studying abroad. She was getting to know her roommates better which was nice. But she also had a buddy to go roam around the city with. Jake was funny and kind and Amy loved spending time with him. He didn’t know too much about art so Amy got to teach him. She loved using her knowledge of art and art history. Jake always looked impressed when she’d go on and on about an artist. At first she’d apologize for boring him, but he’d always shake his head and say that she wasn’t boring. She was pretty sure he wasn’t lying.

It was great having someone to spend time with during the day. Her roommates were also studying abroad from her same college, but they weren’t studying art history. So when she wasn’t in class, she was usually spending time exploring the city with Jake. She had a long list of museums, heritage sites, and monuments that she had to see by the end of the summer. Amy was a planner so she planned it out pretty well. If they went to three a week, they could finish the list early and give her plenty of time to do the required assignments.

Amy didn’t know how she convinced Jake that they should go in Harrods but somehow they ended up going in. She was worried she was going to lose Jake in there. He seemed much more interested than she was. With all the people there, she was starting to feel claustrophobic. She tried to tamp it down, but she couldn’t. Jake was about to head to another floor when she grabbed his hand and dragged him toward the nearest exit point.

Once they got out in the open air, Amy leaned against the wall and bent over. She tried taking deep breaths. Sometimes that worked well for her. Jake was next to her but she wasn’t paying attention to him. Suddenly she felt his hands on her shoulders. He squeezed his hands tightly. One hand let go and grabbed one of her hands. He pulled it up to place on his chest. She could feel him taking exaggerated breaths under her hand. Looking up at his face, she could see visible concern there. She breathed in time with him and it helped even her out.

“You okay?” he asked cautiously.

She nodded. Taking a deep breath, she answered, “I think so.” She shook her head. “Sorry, I get claustrophobic.”

“Don’t be sorry.”

“I know you were having a good time,” she replied.

“It was cool, but I’d rather not have you pass out or hyperventilate or something,” he assured her.

Amy didn’t know if they were there yet, but she stepped closer to him and hugged him. “Thank you,” she said softly.

She felt him wrap his arms around her gently. “Not a problem.” He released her and looked at her to make sure she was okay. “What do you say we take a relaxing stroll through the wide open Hyde Park?”

Amy smiled up at him and nodded. “That sounds nice.”

They walked through Hyde Park for a while, chatting aimlessly. It was relaxing and nice. It had been a while since Amy had carried on an easy conversation like this with someone that wasn’t her family or Kylie. Jake suggested sitting down on the ground for a while. She watched him as he closed his eyes and tilted his head up toward the sun. He was attractive, that was for sure. Sometimes she’d catch herself staring too long at him.

After walking through the park, Amy mentioned that she was tired. When she had attacks like that, it sometimes wore her out. She noticed the disappointed look on Jake’s face. “You can come back to my dorm with me, if you’d like. We could hang out there. I’m just tired.”

“I don’t want to be a bother,” Jake deflected.

Amy looked at him pointedly. “Jake, you’re more than welcome to come hang out. Granted, my roommates may be there. I can’t guarantee how they will act. I don’t know them well enough to predict that.”

Jake chuckled. “Well that actually sounds like fun.”

“We could find something on British Netflix to watch!” Amy suggested.

“Ooh, foreign films. I feel so cultured,” Jake mused. Amy laughed and linked her arm through his, turning in the direction of the nearest Underground stop.

Amy and Jake had made it through half a movie before she started to fall asleep. She felt lame because it was only 3:00 in the afternoon. She should have been able to make it longer. Jake must have noticed her nodding off. He reached behind him for the blanket on the back of the small couch in their communal living area. He unfolded it and draped it across her. Standing up, he paused the movie and shut her laptop.

“You don’t have to stop it,” Amy offered.

“I’m gonna head out. You should sleep,” he replied. He patted her softly on the shoulder before walking to her door. Amy smiled to herself before she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Amy was eating dinner with her roommates later when they started their interrogation. “So tell us about Jake,” Katie demanded.

“What do you mean?”

“Oh don’t do that,” Katie scolded. “You talk about him a lot. Plus he was here this afternoon.”

“Yeah, and you two looked cozy,” Clara said in a monotone voice.

“Mmhmm,” Katie agreed. “She’s right. Y’all looked really cozy.”

Amy shook her head. “I met Jake like two weeks ago. There’s nothing going on.”

“Then why do you spend so much time together?” Katie interrogated further.

“Because he doesn’t know anyone here and I have to go on all my excursions for my independent study. It’s better to have someone to go with,” Amy insisted. Katie and Clara shared disbelieving looks. “I mean it!” Amy exclaimed. “There is nothing going on with me and Jake!”

\--

Jake was sitting on the tube next to Amy as they were on their way to the next place on her list. She was reading a book for her other class and he was more than happy to just sit there and observe the other people. He looked over at Amy who was very absorbed in her book. Jake smiled to himself. She was so adorable when she was going on about art. Amy spent most of their time at these places explaining things to him. He enjoyed it, but mainly because he enjoyed seeing that side of her. Jake could see the pure glee in her eyes when she was on a topic she loved. He would happily let her explain everything in London to him.

It was that thought that made him sit a bit straighter in his seat. He looked out the opposite window. The blackness of the tube only showed his reflection. Jake stared at his face trying to analyze the thoughts spinning around in his head. Did he have feelings for Amy? His eyes darted over to study her reflection in the window. She was still studiously focused on her book, wearing a small smile. Watching her reflection, Jake found himself smiling as well.

Jake shook his head. No. He couldn’t have feelings for Amy. That was just messy. The whole reason she’d even talked to him the night they met was because he _wasn’t_ the guy that was going to try anything. If he had any feelings at all, it had to be because of the amount of time they spent together. He spent varying degrees of every day with her. It was just because she was near. That was it.

“Next stop: Russell Square.”

“That’s our stop,” Jake reminded Amy. She nodded, not tearing her eyes from her book.

He wished she would start talking so he could get his mind off the whirlpool of thoughts all involving her. The same whirlpool that if addressed could ruin their lovely system they had going. Jake took a deep breath and mentally coached himself. _You don’t have feelings for Amy. It’s just because you don’t know anyone else_.

Suddenly Amy snapped her book shut and looked over at him curiously. He was afraid he’d said it out loud. But then she started talking. “So do you want to get lunch before the museum?”

Jake decided lunch would be the better option. Maybe if they were having a conversation, he wouldn’t be caught up in his head. “Lunch okay?”

Amy smiled at him happily. “Lunch is perfect.” Jake’s stomach jolted at her smile. Maybe it wasn’t just because she was near.

After lunch, they toured the British Museum. Jake watched Amy as she gasped at many different pieces. She fought her way to the front of the case holding the Rosetta Stone. Jake just stood back and chuckled as he saw her fight off fellow tourists for her spot. As they walked through the museum, Jake started to realize he was paying more attention to Amy than the artifacts. He thought back on all their other museum trips they’d taken. Had he just paid attention to Amy the whole time? Surely not.

Jake couldn’t help but be enthralled by her enthusiasm. She was so giddy being surrounded by art. Amy displayed her usual verve as she explained everything to him. She dragged Jake from piece to piece, excitedly sharing each one with him.

The sun was low in the sky when they finally left the museum. Jake probably would have left a lot sooner, but Amy insisted on seeing everything. Who was he to fight her on that? It was her classes that made them take these excursions. They grabbed some sandwiches from a Pret nearby and walked back to a small park. With the sunset and their makeshift picnic, Jake couldn’t help but note that it was almost romantic. Except that he didn’t have feelings for Amy. He definitely didn’t.

Later, they were taking the tube back to their respective homes. Amy laughed loudly at a joke he made and Jake’s heart leapt. He shook his head. What was going on with him? Amy was chatting excitedly about everything they’d seen. Jake felt mesmerized by her. Suddenly it was her stop. She wrapped her arm around his shoulders and side-hugged him before jumping up from her seat. She turned back to look at him. “I’ll see you tomorrow?” she asked.

Jake smiled and nodded. Her face lit up as she waved to him and departed the train. As the train took off again, it hit Jake. Maybe he has some actual tiny feelings for Amy.

\--

The conversation that Amy’d had with her roommates had been haunting her. After they’d asked her what was going on with her and Jake, she’d been evaluating every interaction they had. She liked spending time with Jake, but she didn’t _like_ Jake. They were just friends who happened to meet in a foreign country. Jake put up with her dragging him all around different museums, rambling on and on about each piece she saw. She wondered if she was annoying him with all her narrating.

Amy was determined to not narrate the next place they went. Amy’d convinced Jake to ride to Dover with her to see a castle there. She also was interested in checking out the cliffs. They were walking around the castle, ducking in and out of rooms. Amy had been proud of herself so far for how quiet she’d been. They were walking over to see the tunnels and Jake opened the umbrella back up, sheltering the both of them from the rain.

On the walk down the stairs toward the tunnels, Jake started talking. “Are you okay?”

Amy looked over at him curiously. “Yeah, why?”

He shrugged. “You seem really quiet today,” he explained. “You know, usually, you’re excitedly talking about everything we see. Today, though, you’re practically silent.”

Amy smiled. “You noticed?” He nodded. “I didn’t want to annoy you. I was worried you were getting annoyed with my constant narration.”

Jake looked at her like she was crazy. “Are you kidding? That’s the best part! I find out so much more going places with you than I would if I went by myself.”

“Seriously?” Amy asked. “I figured I was being so annoying.”

Jake laughed and shook his head. “Oh God, not at all. It’s fun!”

“Huh,” Amy said, more to herself than to Jake. “Well I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Don’t worry, Santiago,” Jake said with a smirk, walking toward the cannons in the tunnels, “If I found you annoying, I’d have told you a long time ago.”  He turned toward the cannons excitedly.

Amy stood there for a moment just looking at Jake. How did she not annoy him? Sometimes she almost found herself annoying. She continued to look over at Jake and noticed his glee as he was taking pictures of the cannon in front of him. He was a really great guy.  She could see herself with someone like Jake. And if she stopped lying to herself, she could feel herself starting to like Jake. Everything with them was just so temporary though. So she shook her head, trying to shake the feelings from it. She walked over towards Jake and they started chatting as they always did. They were friends, and that was already more than she had when she came to England.

\--

“I feel guilty that I’ve been picking all the places we’ve gone so far. You pick what we do today,” Amy prompted when Jake arrived outside her dorm.

Jake rubbed his hands together mischievously. “Ooh, how enticing.”

Amy wrinkled her nose. “What?”

He shook his head, “Huh, nothing.” He pulled out his phone and started typing something. “I do have some ideas though.” He started walking down the street. “Follow me!”

Amy shook her head with a laugh and caught up to him. “So where are we going?”

Jake looked over at her, a devilish grin on his face. “Oh Amy, it’s a surprise.”

Amy groaned but fell in line with him. He kept consulting his phone to make sure they were going the right way. Jake kept musing on where he thought Amy thought they were going. She rolled her eyes, just letting him talk it out.

They walked toward Big Ben and Parliament and Amy thought she knew where they were going. He showed no signs of slowing down though. Not even to take a picture. He kept walking across the bridge. Finally, he stopped and pointed. “The London Eye,” he said with a broad smile.

“This is where we’re going? Or are you just throwing me off the scent more?” Amy inquired skeptically.

“No, this is where we’re going. I really wanted to come here. I know it’s super touristy, but I can’t help it. I wanna do it,” Jake admitted.

Amy gestured them forward. “Great, then let’s go! We should go get tickets.”

Jake held up his phone for her. “I already bought them on the way here. Smort.” Jake held out his bent arm for her to link hers through it. She gave him a quick, curious look before she looped her arm through his and took of walking arm in arm with him. They waited patiently in line. There were a surprising amount of people there for as early as they’d gotten there.

Amy kept stealing glances Jake’s way. He seemed really happy. Of course, Jake almost always seemed happy. Amy felt weird, harboring almost-feelings for Jake. She didn’t know what she really wanted to happen. She couldn’t deny that she liked Jake at least a bit. But she also didn’t want to say anything about it. Why would he feel the same way? They seemed to work well as friends. She felt like she could tell Jake basically anything. After all, he told her about his terrible childhood right after he met her.  She hated having conflicting feelings in her head. It had been so much easier spending time with Jake before she had to question every little gesture he made.

After waiting long enough, they made their running move onto the Eye. As they made their slow ascent, Amy was in awe of the view the Eye provided. She could hear Jake gasp softly next to her. She smiled secretly. Jake was bouncing back and forth around the carriage, wanting to get the best possible view at all times for his pictures. Finally, seemingly satisfied, he returned next to her and stood there, observing the view.

“This is some view,” he remarked. Amy nodded next to him with a small “Mhmm.”

He looked over at her with a soft expression. “Thanks for coming here with me,” he said gently.

Amy looked back at him, a confused look upon her face. “Why are you thanking me?”

He shrugged. “I know you have the list of places you _have_ to go to for your class. But I appreciate you letting me choose. I’m glad I did this.”

Amy ignored the way her heart beat faster at the look he gave her. She reached out and grabbed his hand, giving it a squeeze. “Of course. I’m happy I came along.” He squeezed back, smiling broadly at her. They held their gaze for longer than normal. Amy was starting to wonder what it meant when Jake broke their gaze and looked out at London again. Jake didn’t release her hand until they were getting ready to disembark.

\--

It had been a pretty wonderful day for Jake. Amy’d let him choose what they did. And he hadn’t held back. So after leaving the Eye, he’d suggested just wandering around. He wanted to see what they could find to do without consulting any of Amy’s guidebooks. “I want to find the hidden gems, Ames,” he’d whined. With a sigh and a roll of her eyes, Amy had agreed.

They’d found a rather tasty place to eat lunch. There were a few shops along their way that piqued their interest. Amy had ended up buying a few things, though she kept insisting that she didn’t need them.

It had been an afternoon of wandering and seeing where they could end up. Jake loved it. Amy was hesitant at first, but seemed to have a good time.

Jake suggested they sit on a bench by the river. Amy was staring out at the Thames captivatedly. Jake couldn’t help but stare at her instead. He’d accepted the fact that he might have feelings for her. He repeatedly told himself that he wasn’t going to act on them, though. They had a good thing going and the last thing he wanted to do was ruin it.

“Hey, can you hand me my camera? It’s in my backpack.” Jake asked, fuzzy on how Amy had ended up with it.

Amy zipped open Jake bag and snorted. “Your backpack is 98% nuts,” she said, holding up a large bag of nuts.

He looked at her blankly. “What? I get snacky. And nuts are super healthy. They’re like 0% fat,” he reasoned.

She gaped at him. “Jake, that’s not true at all. It’s actually the opposite.”

Jake felt shocked. “What? That nut vendor lied to me.” He got over his shock and took some pictures of the scenery. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Amy watching him.

“You really like taking pictures, don’t you?” she asked.

He chuckled. “When I was a kid, my mom used to take pictures of everything. She’d tell me it was for my grandma, but I always thought that part of her hoped my dad would come back and she could catch him up on my life. At some point, she told me I needed to capture everything. That one day I’d want to look back on the memories I was making. And, I don’t know, it just caught on. I started taking lots of pictures. I would try getting different angles and lighting and such. I’m never going to do anything with it, but it’s fun. For me it was proof that something that started out being kinda depressing could actually turn into something fun that I enjoy,” he concluded with a shrug.

Amy smiled at him thoughtfully. “Gotta say, that’s kinda beautiful.”

Jake grinned. “What can I say? _I’m_ kinda beautiful.”

Amy burst out laughing. He’d have been offended if he didn’t love hearing her laugh. She recovered as he took more pictures. “Nut?” she offered.

He turned back toward her. “Only if you throw it.”

She threw the nut in the air and he caught it masterfully in his mouth. He held his hands out smugly in victory.

“Nice!” she commended.

Jake reached in the bag and got one out. “Ready?” She nodded. He tossed it in the air and she kept leaning forward to get it, ultimately missing it. “What are you doing? Trying to catch it in your nose?” he teased.

They both laughed at Amy’s failure to catch the nut. Jake’s phone started to ring. He looked down and saw his dad’s name appear on the screen.  “Keep practicing,” he advised Amy as he stood up to take the call.

“Hello?” Jake answered.

“Jake! Hey, it’s Dad!” Roger said cheerily.

“Hey, Roger,” Jake replied flatly. “What do you want?”

“Well I know it was bad of me to forget to mention the Canada thing, but I have good news,” Roger explained. “I have a week between training sessions. How would you feel if I came over to England next week and we spent some time together?”

Jake fought a groan. He looked over at Amy trying and failing to catch nuts in her mouth. His dad abandoning him had somehow led him to meeting and making a great friend in Amy. He knew he didn’t want to see his dad. Jake enjoyed spending his time with Amy. He didn’t want to waste any of that time to spend it with his dad. “That would be pretty hard. I’m actually back in New York,” Jake lied. “My friends and I are going camping next week, so I won’t be available.”

“Oh,” Roger replied. He almost sounded disappointed, but Jake didn’t care. “Well that’s too bad. I’ll try another time then. Talk to you soon, Son.”

“Bye,” Jake answered abruptly, quickly disconnecting the call. He walked back over to the bench where Amy was sitting.

“Who was that?” Amy asked.

“No one of importance,” Jake responded vaguely. “How you doing? Any progress?”

“Watch!” Amy exclaimed. She took a handful of nuts and threw them in the air, catching a couple in her mouth. “The key is volume,” she said around a smile.

Jake laughed heartily. “I see that.”

\--

Amy was sitting and studying at the table in the common area of the suite when Katie came over and shut her text book. She looked up, affronted, at her two roommates. “What are you doing? I was studying.”

Clara rolled her eyes. “Yes, we know you were studying,” Katie responded. “But we had an idea and we wanted to share it with you.”

“Is the idea to all wash our own dishes? Because I’d be on board with that,” Amy replied, her voice dripping with disdain.

They both glared at her. “No, it’s not that,” Clara said simply.

“So there’s a long weekend coming up soon in the university schedule. We get Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, _and_ Monday off. It’s pretty sick.”

“And?” Amy asked, trying to find the page she was on in her textbook.

“So we thought that we should take a trip,” Clara elaborated.

“To be more precise, we thought we should take a trip to Paris,” Katie clarified.

Amy looked up at them. Her interest was mildly piqued. “And you’re inviting me?”

“Yes,” Katie confirmed. “It would be like a roommate trip.” Amy’s face must have visibly fallen some.

“You can bring your boyfriend,” Clara added.

Amy recoiled. “My boyfriend? I don’t have a boyfriend.”

“She means Jake,” Katie explained.

Amy rolled her eyes at them. “Guys, how many times do I have to tell you? Jake is not my boyfriend. There is nothing going on between us.”

Katie chuckled. “You can keep telling us. We’ll let you know when we believe you.”

Clara nodded in agreement. “Seriously, you spend all your time with him.”

“We’re friends,” Amy argued.

“Whatever,” Katie said with a wave of her hand. “The point is, it’s cool with us if Jake comes.”

“He’d probably be bored without you to spend all his time with anyway,” Clara followed up.

Amy shook her head but Katie continued. “So are you guys in?”

“I mean, I’ll have to ask Jake if he wants to go. But I’m in even if he isn’t,” Amy confirmed. “I _can_ do things without Jake.” Her phone buzzed on the table. They all looked down to see a text from Jake.

**Do you still want to grab dinner tonight?**

Amy grimaced at the timing. “Well that was inopportune, but I promise that I can.”

Katie laughed. “So are you saying you aren’t going to invite him?”  
Amy shrugged slowly. “I mean, you guys said he was invited. I figure I’ll at least ask. He might enjoy it…” Amy trailed off. Katie and Clara nodded to each other knowingly. “Oh shut up,” Amy retorted.

\--

Jake agreed to go to Paris with Amy and her roommates. He reasoned that he wasn’t crazy and would never turn down a trip to Paris. Amy couldn’t argue with him. The four of them stayed in a hostel together. Thankfully the room they chose only had four beds. Amy didn’t want to worry about strangers, though Katie and Clara repeatedly told her it would be fine.

The group seemed to agree that going to the Louvre would be a good place to start. Amy was of course excited about another museum. There were so many beautiful masterpieces in the Louvre. She couldn’t wait.

They seemed to split off once they got in there. They agreed on a meet up location, but Amy really didn’t want to be rushed through there. She’d tried not to hurry past anything, but at the same time, she wanted to see the Mona Lisa _badly_.

Finally, they wandered into the room that held the Mona Lisa. Amy gasped softly and tried to get as close as possible. She felt Jake squeeze in next to her. “So this is the Mona Lisa, huh?”

Amy gazed at it happily. She couldn’t believe she was looking at it in real life and not a rendering of it.

“Seems overrated,” Jake stated next to her.

Amy’s head whipped over in his direction. “What?” Amy screeched.

“I mean, she kinda looks like a garbage pail kid,” Jake replied, scrutinizing the painting.

“Jake!” Amy cried, smacking him on the arm.

“I mean look, Amy,” he said, pointing to the painting, “Where are her eyebrows?”

“Oh my God,” Amy muttered to herself. Suddenly she was done looking at the Mona Lisa. Amy started to walk out of the room, Jake in tow behind her. She was trying to ignore him as he said something about landing a helicopter on Mona Lisa’s forehead.

They’d wandered around the rest of the Louvre and Jake had blessedly not made any more terrible comments. It was back to their usual pattern of Amy talking and Jake nodding happily in response and occasionally asking questions. Sooner than Amy would have wanted, Jake reminded her that they needed to meet up with her roommates.

\--

At the end of their little break, Amy was shocked that the four of them hadn’t all killed each other. She got along well enough with Katie and Clara when they all had their own rooms. She got along with Jake when she didn’t have to scold him for leaving his clothes everywhere. Paris had been fun, but she was excited to go back to London where she had a routine and her own room.

The last night they were there, Clara and Katie invited Jake and Amy to join them at this club. Jake seemed pretty interested. “Ooh, a club?” he’d asked, clearly intrigued.

Amy shrugged. “I’ll pass. Thanks, though.”

“You don’t want to go to the club?” Katie asked.

Amy wrinkled her nose. “It’s not really my scene.”

Katie frowned. “Okay, I guess it’s just Clara, Jake and me.”

Jake sighed. “Actually, I think I might stay in as well.” Amy looked over at him, shocked.

“Why?” Katie asked bluntly.

“I’m just…tired,” Jake said, faking a yawn. Amy was confused; she didn’t know why Jake suddenly changed his mind. She had an idea, but it was ridiculous.

Clara and Katie looked at him skeptically. “Whatever. We’re leaving,” Katie said, rolling her eyes and turning for the door.

Amy waited till the door was closed to confront Jake. “Why didn’t you go? You seemed like you wanted to go when they brought it up.”

Jake shrugged. “I don’t know. I felt weird leaving you all alone.”

Amy smiled. “That’s kind of you.”

He smirked at her, putting his hands behind his head. “What can I say, I’m a kind guy.”

“Do you want to go do something?”

Jake jumped up at her suggestion. “Yeah, I definitely don’t want to just sit around here.”

They went to an ice cream shop that Amy had noticed nearby. They sat on a bench outside the shop eating their ice cream cones. It was a pretty night. Amy was much happier eating ice cream with Jake than at some annoyingly loud club.

“Can I say something that seems strange?” Jake asked. Amy laughed and nodded. “Paris is not what I was expecting.”

Amy looked at him curiously. “And what were you expecting?”

“I don’t know, just not this.”

“Have you not had a good time?” Amy asked.

He looked over at her. “No, I’ve had a good time. It’s been fun. It’s just…” he trailed off, seemingly collecting his thoughts. “It’s supposed to be the City of Love and all that, right? I wouldn’t say I find Paris especially romantic.”

Amy chuckled, finishing her ice cream cone. “I guess not. It’s a bit dirty for me, honestly.”

Jake laughed loudly. “Of course it is, you nerd.”

“So I like things clean. What’s so wrong with that?” Amy argued.

Jake’s expression softened. He looked thoughtful almost. “I guess nothing.”

“So what’s your big beef with Paris?”

He looked over at her. “I don’t know. It just wasn’t what I was expecting.”

Amy nodded thoughtfully. “I mean, I guess anything could be romantic. It’s silly to think that a whole city would be the most romantic place. I feel like the definition of romantic depends on the person.”

“Yeah, what if your favorite thing to do with someone is to go dumpster diving? Maybe one day a dumpster could be a romantic place,” Jake reasoned.

Amy giggled. “I guess.” She paused thoughtfully. “I used to work at this deli when I was in high school. And there was this older couple that I always used to see come in. I assumed they were married. Then one day, the man got down on one knee at their usual table and he pulled out this ring that looked like an antique. He said, “I know we may not have a ton of time left, but the time that I have left, I want to spend with you.” It was really sweet. I would never have considered a deli to be a romantic place, but then that happened. So I guess anywhere could be romantic,” Amy shared.

“Yeah, like a gym,” Jake suggested.

“Or a doctor’s office.”

“Or a bank.”

“Or a laundromat,” Amy offered with a chuckle.

“Or sidewalk bench,” Jake said with a grin. Amy looked over at him suddenly. She could see the awareness dawn on him. He started to open and close his mouth a bunch of times like he was trying to think of what to say. Eventually, he gave up. Amy stared at him. Her heart was beating so fast. Jake held her stare, not breaking eye contact.  She saw when his eyes darted down to her mouth.

The next thing she knew, Jake was kissing her. Amy didn’t hesitate in responding. He scooted closer to her on the bench, wrapping his arm around her back. She dropped her napkins and slid her hand up his arm, resting it on the back of his neck. She felt like she and Jake were melting together.

Suddenly, she felt something drip on her arm. She pulled back quickly. Some of Jake’s uneaten ice cream had dripped onto her arm. He chuckled nervously. “Sorry, about that.” He grabbed her napkins and started wiping it off her arm.

She shook her head. “Don’t be.” He looked up at her just in time to see her moving back in to kiss him again.

She was basically attacking his face, her hands grabbing at his neck, pulling him closer. He responded in kind, his hands landing on her waist and pulling her as close as he could on the bench. They continued to kiss where they sat, only stopping when they needed air.

Amy looked at Jake sheepishly. He looked nervous too. At the same time, they both started smiling brightly. Jake gestured to the bench. “See, benches _can_ be romantic!” Amy laughed as Jake stood up. He looked down at her and reached out his hand. She smiled at him and took it. They started walking away from their little romantic bench.

In the back of Amy’s mind, she thought that this wasn’t smart. They were only going to be in England for another month. And they lived on separate coasts. It didn’t make sense to start something on such a short timeline. But then Jake squeezed her hand in his and smiled down at her and the thoughts in the back of her head were silenced. If she only had a short time with Jake, she was going to enjoy it.

\--

Things obviously changed once they got back from Paris. Jake was all in favor of the changes. He liked getting to walk hand in hand with Amy. He liked the sweet little looks she gave him. He’d been having fun with Amy before, but then he started having even more fun with her. She was truly one of the best people he’d ever met. Getting to spend time with her was awesome. It was even better once he could kiss her when he wanted to. Amy had repeatedly said that she’d been happy he had his own hotel room so there were other _things_ they could do.

Jake had already decided that this summer would go down as probably the best of his life. He and Amy still went to a ton of museums and heritage sites, but now they felt more like little dates. Amy was surprisingly affectionate in public. They didn’t make out or anything in public (they weren’t _those_ people), but she’d hold his hand or his arm and kiss his cheek every now and then. She seemed to be reveling in being able to just like he was.

As much fun as they were having, it was sometimes hard for Jake to focus completely on Amy and not on the timeline hanging over their heads. He couldn’t believe that he only had a month to be with Amy. It was initially why Jake had been fighting his feelings for her. But then he blew it all by kissing her. He was pretty sure though that if he hadn’t kissed Amy, she would have kissed him.

The closer it got to time to leave, the more tense it became. They still had fun moments, but they also had a fair share of awkward ones. The last week of them both being in England, Jake couldn’t take it anymore. They were at dinner at a nice restaurant when Jake finally brought it up.

“This sucks,” he said, breaking a silence.

Amy looked up at him curiously. “Hmm?”

“We have the fact that we’re both leaving soon hanging over us and it sucks. It’s making everything awkward. Don’t you think?” Jake asked.

Amy took a deep breath. She nodded solemnly. “It _is_ making things awkward.”

“I don’t want things to be awkward,” Jake said almost desperately. “It’s been really fun. And it would be nice if it could stay that way.”

Amy smiled sadly. “I agree. We both knew this wasn’t gonna last for a long time. We knew our time ran out at the beginning of August. But I agree, it has been fun.”

“So fun,” Jake smirked.

Amy stared at him mischievously. “So how do we make it not weird?”

Jake took a second to think. “We just take things the way we did at first. We hang out and make out and when your roommates aren’t there we have sex.” Amy laughed. “I just don’t want it to end badly. Especially since we knew it was going to end.”

“I think you’re right,” Amy replied with a nod. She looked at her watch and then back up at Jake. “Clara’s in a night class and Katie went out with this guy she met. The suite is clear. And it’s a lot closer than your hotel.”

Jake could feel his eyes get bigger. “Deal.” He threw his hand up for the check immediately.

\--

Amy was sad to leave England. She’d gotten attached to the country in the months she’d been there. She’d finally gotten used to the cars being on the different side of the road. It had been a wonderful summer that England had given her. But by far, the best part was Jake. Amy was definitely sadder to leave Jake. She didn’t know how it was her luck that she found a great guy that she was compatible with and yet he lived across the country from her. Why couldn’t she have met Jake in California?

Amy had said goodbye to her roommates and was all ready to head to the airport. Jake had spent the night with her and demanded he was going to the airport with her. Thankfully traffic was rather awful so they got to extend their time together a bit. It was truly the only time Amy was happy to be running late. Finally (or way too soon, either way) they pulled up at Heathrow. Jake got out with Amy. He waited for her while she checked her luggage. Amy walked over towards him and looked at her watch.  She had some time before she _had_ to go through security.

They sat at a table silently, neither of them knowing what to say. Finally, Amy spoke up. “I just want to say that this summer was really great. Meeting you was definitely the highlight,” she said, wishing her stupid tears wouldn’t fall.

Jake smiled sadly. “I have to agree. Thanks for letting some stranger in a bar follow you around London,” he replied, chuckling.

Amy reached out and squeezed his hand. “Easily the best decision I made.” Jake laid his hand over hers. They were silent again. The silence was almost tangible.

Suddenly, Jake started singing. “Summer lovin’, had me a blast,” he crooned.

Amy snorted. “Please no.”

Jake laughed as well. “Not a Grease person?” She shook her head. “Well I did,” he said. Amy looked confused. “Have a blast, I mean.”

That was when the first of Amy’s tears fell. “You know,” she started, “Just because we live on different coasts, doesn’t mean we can’t still be friends. We can still keep in touch.”

Jake smiled. “You’d want to?” he asked hesitantly.

“Of course I’d want to, you idiot!” Amy exclaimed, smacking him on the arm. They sat there grinning. She looked at her watch. Time had gone faster than she wanted. “I should probably go through security,” she said regretfully.

Jake stood up from the table. She followed his lead. He opened his arms and without waiting, she walked straight into them.

Jake hugged her tightly. “I’ll miss you, Santiago.”

Amy pulled her head back and met his eyes. “I’ll miss you too, Peralta.” Jake leaned in and kissed her softly. Amy ran her fingers through his soft hair one last time. With both hands on either side of his head, Amy pulled back and looked at Jake. He smiled sadly.

Without saying anything more, Amy stepped out of Jake’s embrace and grabbed her bag. She slung it over her shoulder and started walking toward the security line. Amy turned back and looked at Jake. He waved to her. Amy waved back before she turned and walked further into the airport.

It wasn’t until Amy’s layover in Dallas that she realized something horrible. The number she’d given Jake months ago in a bar was an English number. She hadn’t given him her real number. When she was resyncing her phone to her American number, she’d lost the contacts and everything from the English number. Amy groaned, drawing the attention of other passengers. She didn’t care. How could this happen to her?  How could she not have remembered to give him her real number? How would she actually stay in touch?

Amy was relaying this to her friend, Kylie, hours later once Amy reached San Francisco. Kylie looked at her like she was being dumb. “Uhh, Facebook. What century do you think it is?”

Amy looked back at Kylie glumly. “He doesn’t have it. He went on this rant once about how social media is the devil. I didn’t ask the full story.”

“Well maybe when he realizes he doesn’t have your number, he’ll create one to find you,” Kylie mused.

“I doubt it,” Amy countered. “After his rant, I didn’t want to admit that I have a ton of social media accounts so I lied and said I completely agreed.”

Kylie glared at Amy. “Wow. And you did this to get in this guy’s pants?”

Amy sighed. “No. It was before anything even happened between us. I guess I just wasn’t supposed to stay in Jake’s life,” Amy reasoned sadly.

“Cheer up, Buttercup,” Kylie said, throwing her arm around Amy’s shoulder, “You’ll find someone better than this guy. I guarantee it.”

Amy wasn’t so sure, but there was not really much she could do. Or at least nothing she could think of. She mildly hated herself and Jake when “Summer Lovin’” started playing in her head. It was only one line though. “Summer dreams, ripped at the seams,” Amy dramatically sang quietly to herself as Kylie stopped to get coffee on their way out of the airport.

“You ready?” Kylie asked, coffee in hand.

Amy shrugged, looking back towards the gate. Jake wasn’t leaving England for another two days. She almost wished she could fly back just to ask him for his number.

Amy shook her head. She was being silly. They still lived on opposite coasts. It was probably for the best. Maybe without contact, Amy wouldn’t constantly hold a torch for Jake Peralta.

\--

It had been a year since Amy had returned from England. It took a while, but eventually, Jake was the furthest thing from her mind. The current thing on her mind was the big surprise she was planning for Kylie. Amy was waiting for her friend as she walked in the door.

“Hey Kylie,” Amy asked, “Remember how you got that job in New York City, but you were worried that you won’t be able to afford the rent by yourself?”

Kylie looked at her, completely confused. “Yeah?”

Amy held up a folded sheet of paper. “Well good news, I found you a roommate.” Amy handed the sheet of paper to Kylie.

Kylie opened it and read it to herself. “You got into the Academy?” Kylie shrieked.  Amy nodded excitedly. Suddenly Kylie shook her head. “Wait, I don’t get it. How does this relate to my roommate thing?”

Amy grabbed the paper back and held it up. “Look at the top.”

“New York City?” Kylie exclaimed. “You’re moving to New York with me?”

“That’s right, Baby!” Amy yelled gleefully.

“But I thought you were so attached to California.”

Amy shrugged. “I’ll always love California, but I’m ready for a change.”

Kylie hugged Amy tightly. “I can’t wait! This is so awesome!”

Amy sighed happily. “I know. I can’t believe I got into the Academy! I’m gonna be a cop!”

The two of them cheered happily. Amy wasn’t surprised at all when Kylie suggested they go out and celebrate. And of course, “go out and celebrate” really just meant “get really drunk.”

\--

“Hey Jake, it’s me!” Gina called as she walked in the door. Jake would be confused why she was there if it wasn’t a near daily occurrence. He finished tying his tie before he walked out into the other room. “Oooh, you look fancy. What’s the occasion?” Gina crooned.

Jake flipped down his collar. “There’s this cocktail party I’m going to tonight. It’s for new cadets at the Academy.”

“On a Sunday night?” Gina asked. “That doesn’t make sense.”

“So maybe they don’t want us to get _trashed_. But it’s just a social thing. Kind of a “get to know you before we try and kill you” type of thing. You know?” Jake explained.

“Wait, so you’re missing Game of Thrones?” Gina whined, throwing herself down on Jake’s crappy couch. “Why would you do this?”

“I kind of have to go. It would look bad if I didn’t show up,” Jake argued. There was a knock at the door and Jake went to answer it. “Hey Charles,” he greeted.

“Well someone looks sexy,” Charles observed.

“Ew,” Jake and Gina said in unison.

Jake turned to Gina. “Should I change? If Charles thinks I look sexy, should I go for a different look?”

Gina grimaced. “That might be a safe option. But you do look okay.”

“Why are you so dressed up?” Charles asked.

“Because he’s abandoning us,” Gina answered before Jake could.

“What? It’s Game of Thrones night! I bought us all dinner!” Charles whined.

“Oh thank God I get to avoid that,” Jake joked. “I have an Academy thing.” Jake looked at his two friends’ disapproving looks. “I _have_ to go. But I’m only gonna stay long enough to do some quality schmoozing and then I’ll come back. Depending on the crowd, I might be back before the show actually starts.”

Charles sulked. “I guess we can watch it at my house, Gina.”

Gina groaned. “Fine. But if anything smells like it’s fermenting, I’m putting it in your bed, Jake.”

Jake shook his head at his friends. They were truly crazy. “I promise I won’t be gone that long.”

“It can’t be any worse than the summer you abandoned us,” Charles mentioned. Gina nodded in agreement.

Jake wagged his finger between them. “Oh look, you’re agreeing on something.”

Gina stomped toward the door. “Don’t get your hopes up.” She opened the door, turning back to Jake. “Have fun at your stupid party.” Charles scowled and followed her out.

“Thanks,” Jake replied halfheartedly.

He left not long after his friends. When he got to the event center, he could tell he definitely didn’t want to be there too long. He picked up a drink at the bar before starting to make the rounds. The food was good enough. The company could use some improvement. It was hard to befriend people when he knew that tomorrow he’d be in competition with them. He was standing in a group of a few people listening to jokes he didn’t find funny. Jake looked at his watch, counting how much longer he’d have to stay before it was acceptable to leave.

One of the other cadets was sucking up to an officer when Jake heard someone laugh across the room. The laugh almost sounded familiar. He started looking around and that was when he spotted her. Her head was still tipped back in laughter. He had to wonder what was so funny. Jake excused himself from his group to walk over to her. As he walked towards her cluster of people, she turned to walk to the bar.

\--

Amy was having a moderately good time at the cocktail party. She’d much rather be at home prepping for her big day tomorrow, but that was beside the point. She was doing a pretty great job at schmoozing, she had to admit. The superiors definitely couldn’t tell when her laughs were real or genuine. The other cadets that she’d talked to were nice enough. It was hard for her to befriend someone when they were going to be her competition tomorrow.

She stepped away from group of people she was talking with because she needed a breather. And she needed another drink. She was standing at the bar when someone started talking to her. “So they’ll just let anyone in here, won’t they?” Amy whipped around in her confusion.

She was shocked to see him standing before her. It had been months since she’d thought about him. “Jake?” Amy asked incredulously. He smiled and nodded. She always loved his smile. “What are you doing here?” she asked, stepping forward and hugging him.

“I should ask you the same thing. I thought you lived in California.”

Amy chuckled stepping back. “Yeah, I just moved out here. My friend got a job out here and I decided to make a change and come with her.” Amy felt like she was staring at him. She couldn’t help it. “Wow, it has really been a long time.”

Jake nodded in agreement. “Yeah it has. How’ve things been?”

Amy shrugged. “Good enough. You?”

“Pretty much the same,” he agreed.

He barely finished speaking before Amy cut him off. “I’m so sorry. I forgot to give you my real number. I felt like such a jerk.”

Jake laughed. “It’s okay. Really. I mean, we lived on different coasts. What was really gonna happen?”

Amy paused, still marveling at seeing Jake again. “Yeah,” she replied softly. “Hey, would you want to grab a drink and catch up?”

Jake held up his glass. “I already have a drink. I’m halfway there.”

Amy grabbed hers from the bar and they walked to a table. They sat down and started talking. It was a little awkward at first, but soon it was like they’d never parted. “I still can’t believe you never ate fish and chips while we were in London. You were there for two months,” Amy stated incredulously.

“I said it then and I’ll say it now,” Jake said with a huge smile, “I don’t like fish. Why would I waste my money on something like that?”

Amy shook her head and laughed. She looked at him hesitantly. “So have you seen your dad since you got back?”

Jake shook his head. “Nope. He pretty much stays up in Canada.” Amy shot him a sad look. “It’s really fine. I don’t want to see him. Honestly, I had a much better time with you than I would have with him. Even before Paris.”

Amy smiled at him. “So did you ever see much of Katie or Sclara after England?”

Amy looked at him, confused. “Sclara?”

“Oh yeah, “Jake laughed. “That’s what I called her in my head. Clara was scary.  So scary Clara became Sclara.”

Amy threw her head back in laughter. “You thought Clara was scary?”

Jake gaped at her. “You didn’t?” Amy shook her head. “Huh, just me then, I guess.”

Amy was still chuckling when a waitress came by to pick up her empty glass. Amy looked over and realized that most people had left. The tables were being cleared. She and Jake were there rudely late. She definitely hadn’t intended to stay that long. Amy looked at Jake. “We should probably head out so they can clean things up,” she reasoned.

“Yeah,” Jake agreed. “I can’t believe we were the last ones here.” They walked out together. Amy paused at the sidewalk. “Do you need a seasoned New Yorker to teach you how to hail a cab?” he asked with a smirk.

Amy laughed. “No thanks. I’m taking the train.”

Jake’s eyebrows lifted. “Hey, me too. I’ll join you.” Amy grinned and gestured toward the nearest stop. “It’ll be just like old times on the tube!”

They chatted some more as they waited for the train as they were somehow getting on the same one. Amy never would have guessed they’d have run out of things to talk about, but they kept talking. Soon Amy’s stop approached. She didn’t want to leave Jake again, even if she’d see him tomorrow. “This is my stop,” she said regretfully.

“Wow, what a coincidence. It’s mine too,” Jake replied happily.

“You aren’t trying to walk me home are you, Peralta?”

Jake grinned. “No, I know a strong woman like yourself doesn’t need no man.”

Amy grimaced at his grammar but then chuckled. As they walked out onto the sidewalk, Amy gestured to the right. “I’m this way.”

Jake snorted. “I’m not being creepy, but I’m that way too.”

Amy shook her head in awe. “Did we end up living by each other? How on earth is that possible.”

“It’s not. I’m headed to my friend Charles’s apartment. He lives like four blocks from here,” Jake answered. “I live in a very crappy neighborhood far from here. It’s technically called Cobblestink.”

Amy grimaced. “Eww.” As they walked, Amy probed more. “So why are you going to your friend’s apartment?”

“He and my friend Gina are there. I’m usually with them Sunday nights for Game of Thrones. They both texted me separately to beg me to come over because they need their buffer. Well, my words, not theirs,” he explained.

“Ah,” Amy replied. “Sounds like fun.”

“It can be. And sometimes they can drive me insane,” Jake laughed. “I’ve been friends with them for so long though, it’d be hard to get rid of them now.”

Amy chuckled and came to a stop at her stoop. She gestured up to the building. “Well this is me.”

Jake looked up at the building and then back at her. “Nice place.” Amy shrugged. He looked her in the eye. “It was really good to see you again,” he said just above a whisper.

Amy nodded. “Yeah, I agree. It’s been way too long.”

“Well I guess we’ll start seeing each other every day again,” Jake said with a laugh. “Night, Santiago.”

Jake started to walk away but Amy jumped in his path. “I can’t stop thinking about something you said earlier.”

“Oh God, was it something weird?” Jake asked, a horrified look on his face.

Amy shook her head. “No. It was what you said about nothing could have happened because we lived on different coasts,” she explained. Jake nodded his understanding. “But it occurs to me that that’s not exactly the case anymore.” She stepped closer to Jake. “I always felt like we could have had something good if our time hadn’t been cut short.”

Jake was staring at her intently. He nodded slightly. “Yeah, I did too.”  He stepped closer to her.

“So what do you say we –”

Jake cut Amy off with a kiss. He placed his hand on the side of her face, moving his thumb back and forth. Amy responded instantly, wrapping one arm around his waist and one around his neck. She couldn’t be too close. He kissed her passionately and she gave it right back. She ran her fingers through his hair and groaned at the feeling. She’d missed doing so. Soon both his arms were around her waist, making sure there was no room between them. Amy had to come up for breath. She pulled back but rested her forehead against his. They were both panting heavily.

“How vital is it that you get to your friend’s apartment?” Amy asked.

“Uhh, not really at all,” Jake answered.

Amy ran her fingers through Jake’s hair again. She watched as his eyes fluttered shut. “Good, because my roommate isn’t here.” Jake’s eyes flashed back open, staring at her with desire written across his face.

“Are you sure?” he asked.

Amy placed her hand on his neck and pulled him back to her. She kissed him hard. “Yes.” He nodded quickly. Amy grabbed his hand and basically dragged him up her stairs. They kissed most of the way up to her apartment, only pausing inside the door to tear off each other’s clothes. It was safe to say that the night was going better than Amy had expected.

\--

Amy’s alarm started blaring as Jake was kissing her deeply. He pulled back at the sound and flopped onto his back next to her. Amy turned off her alarm but didn’t move. “Getting only a few hours of sleep before our first day at the Academy was not our wisest choice,” Amy noted.

Jake chuckled. “You gotta admit it was great though.”

Amy turned her head to look at him. He was wearing a shit eating grin. She knew her face matched his. “You could say that,” she admitted. Jake rolled onto his side and kissed her again. Amy broke their kiss before they could get too far. “You should go.” Jake looked affronted. “You can’t show up to the first day of the Academy in what you wore last night. That screams trashy,” Amy reminded him.

Jake chuckled lightly. “Yeah, I guess it would.”

They both got out of bed. Jake put on his clothes and Amy put on a bathrobe. She walked him to her front door once he was clothed. Jake pulled her in for a deep kiss. He looked at her with an awestruck look on his face. “So I’ll see you in like an hour and a half?”

Amy laughed. “Yeah, prepare to have your ass kicked in some drills.”

Jake scoffed. “In your dreams, Santiago.”

Amy scoffed right back at him. “Oh yeah? You wanna bet?”

“Sure! Let’s make that bet. Winner of the most drills this week buys dinner,” he said with a sly grin. He stuck his hand out for a shake.

Amy smiled smugly. “Deal,” she said, reaching out for the shake.

\--

At the end of the week, a worn out Jake and Amy met outside the building.

“So…that Rosa girl beat both our asses,” Jake pointed out. “Who buys dinner?”

Amy chuckled wryly. “Do you think she’d buy our dinner?”

Jake laughed loudly. “Did you interact with her at all? My gut’s telling me no,” Jake asserted, wrapping his arm around Amy’s shoulders as they walked away from their first week of training.

They slumped into seats on the train. “I’m calling it,” Jake said, “Next week, I’m gonna kick your butt.”

Amy patted his leg patronizingly. “Sure you will, Pineapples.”

Jake shook his head. “I regret telling you that.”

Amy laughed. “Just like you’ll regret when I beat you like a little bitch.”

Jake practically gasped. “You keep talking like that and you’re not going to get the Jake lovin’ any time soon.”

“I hate to break it to you,” Amy replied, “But I don’t think _either_ of us are up for the Jake lovin’.”

Jake slumped against her even more, “I hate that you’re right.” They sat there in silence, holding hands, feeling sore everywhere else.  Jake was the one to break the silence. “Hey, you doing anything this weekend?”

Amy looked at him and shook her head. “Nursing my sore body?”

Jake laughed. “Wanna get takeout and watch a foreign film?” He waggled his eyebrows as he asked.

“By “foreign film” do you really just mean Hot Fuzz?” Amy questioned.

Jake scoffed, then softened. “You know me too well.”

“And here I thought you’d want to make me watch Die Hard since I’d never seen it,” Amy prompted.

Jake’s head whipped over to look at her. “Oh my God. I forgot you haven’t seen it!” he exclaimed. “Well that’s it. That’s what we’re doing.”

Amy groaned as Jake chattered on about how great Die Hard is. Honestly, she could have the worst time ever, but Amy realized she would be happy simply because she was with him.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!! I'd love to hear what you thought! 
> 
> You can come chat with me on tumblr! I'm three-drink-amy!


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